Genç Kalemler and Turkish Nationalism

Abstract

This paper examines a single periodical, a literary-cultural journal called Genç Kalemler (Young Pens), which was published in Thessaloniki from April 1911 to October 1912. Thirty-three issues were printed throughout this period. The journal has always been well known to students of Turkish nationalism, as it was one of the earliest examples of what one might call a pan-Turkist publication. It was in this journal that Ömer Seyfeddin started his campaign for a purer Turkish language, rid of the Arabic and Persian cumbrances of the composite Ottoman language. Here he collaborated with Ziya Gökalp, who, in addition to being a regular writer, was probably the mentor of the entire project as well as its liaison person with the CUP (Committee of Unity and Progress). Several of the contributors were well-known militants of the nationalist movement. In 1999, the 33 issues of Genç Kalemler were transcribed into the new alphabet by Ismail Parlatir and Çetin and published by the Turkish Language Foundation, making the journal much more accessible to scholars (Parlatir and Çetin, 1999).